1. Field of Invention
The field of invention relates to a portable, boat dock and ramp, whose length can be adjusted telescopically, for water skiing boats and other sport/pleasure boats equipped with a swim step at their stern to which said portable boat dock connects, allowing people to ingress and egress without going into the water when the boat is moored, thus integrating mooring, docking and ramp access.
2. Description of Prior Art
Pleasure and sport boating often includes onshore activities such as picnicking or camping in areas where permanent docks are not available. Water skiing activities with purpose-built, water skiing boats in particular necessitate going to and from the shoreline to drop off and pick up people and equipment. Without a dock or a ramp from shore to boat, people are required to wade through the water to move from boat to shore or shore to boat. This makes simple ingress and egress as well as carrying supplies and equipment to and from the boat not only difficult, but messy because of the mud and sand that is brought into the boat from the lake/river/stream bottom, and sometimes dangerous due to objects under water.
As a result, several forms of portable dock or ramp have come forth to address this problem. Prior art is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,823 to Cupples which provides a foldable ramp which attaches to the bow of a boat; and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,625 to Dawson which uses a relatively large deck structure with an elongated outrigger for stabilizing the dock; and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,795 to Quest which provides an even more complex structure which attaches to the bow of a boat and has retractable legs which rest on a shoreline.
The present invention is specifically designed to accommodate water skiing boats and other boats provided with swim steps on their sterns. The swim step is attached to the stern of a boat to provide a platform or step at water level on which people can stand while they prepare to enter the water. Water skiing boats in particular are designed for activity at the back of the boat. Ingress and egress over the stern is easily accommodated by these kinds of boats. The aforementioned prior art which attach to boats either at the bow or the side are not ideal for water skiing activities.
Prior art does not adequately accommodate water skiing boats in particular, nor does any prior art make use of a boat's swim step.